1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to shredding systems and devices used to destroy documents and other items, and, more particularly, to a shredding system that is designed for use in a public location, such as grocery store, that allows a user or customer to use the system for a single use based on payment and enables the user to confirm destruction of documents and other items, such as credit cards and the like.
2. Relevant Background
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States and around the world. Identity theft is the act of impersonating another by means of using the person's information, such as birth date, Social Security number, address, name, and bank account information, and such theft is typically performed to gain access to the victim's credit or other financial accounts. In 2004, more than 9.9 million Americans were the victims of identity theft, e.g., every 10 seconds another American is victimized.
Identity theft can result in serious losses and problems for the victims. For example, it has been estimated that American victims lost a collective $5 billion in 2004. Further, the victim may have their credit rating significantly reduced, which can often be a more serious problem to the individual than the initial financial losses. Recovering from an identity theft can be problematic, too. Estimates have shown that on average an identity theft victim may spend about $1,500 and up to 600 hours getting their finances in order.
Many believe identity theft is a new problem resulting from use of the Internet and other digital communications networks. However, nearly ninety percent of all identity theft incidents occur offline, e.g., not as a result of using the Internet. Identity thieves instead find the victims' information on documents and other media (such as credit cards, computer disks, compact disks (CDs), and the like) that they steal from the victim or otherwise obtain, such as from the victims' trash or mail. For example, an identity thief may go through the victim's garbage, which may include discarded credit card bills, bank statements, and other documents with personal information. The identity thief then uses this information to access the victim's credit, debit, or other financial accounts or otherwise impersonate the victim.
One of the most effective ways to prevent identity theft is shredding old or unwanted documents containing personal and financial information. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has issued statements recommending that identity theft can be thwarted by shredding your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, credit offers received in the mail, and expired charge cards. More simply, the National Crime Prevention Council has recommended “Shred, Shred, Shred all documents that have important numbers.” Additionally, there are mandates, such as those found in the 2003 Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, for disposing of personal information. For example, this act mandates that if an individual or business hires someone, such as a maid, a gardener, a nanny, or other employee, the employer is required to destroy the employee's personal information including social securing number when forms are completed or no longer needed.
Larger companies have employed shredders for many years, and more recently, smaller models have become available for purchase by individual consumers. However, these home shredders have not been widely adopted by consumers in part due to cost but more due to the fact that these smaller devices are often perceived as being slow, noisy, underpowered, and potentially unsafe. As a result, most people continue to simply throw away their confidential documents with the hope that they will not be the next victim of identity theft. Unfortunately, as noted by the U.S. Consumer Credit Counseling Agency, tearing documents in half and throwing them in the trash is not enough protection against the increasingly prevalent crime of identity theft. If consumers do have a home shredder, large document volumes are difficult and time consuming to process with the underpowered shredding devices.
Hence, there remains a need for a method or system for more effectively allowing the general public to destroy documents and other media that may include personal or financial information or otherwise be the target of perpetrators or identity theft.